On September 20, 2019, the third global climate strike was held, the largest global mobilization focused on the same topic. Before March 15, when the first global climate strike was made, history had not registered anything similar. We must raise awareness that a great step has been taken and consider this youth initiative as the rebirth of hope to save life on the planet.

The strike on Friday 20-S has no comparison. It was an act shared by millions of people in one hundred and fifty countries. Australia’s massive marches were the first images that came to us. They were good signs. From early on the young Australians sent us a warning: we are not willing to let ourselves be taken away from the future. The videos announced that the call, contrary to some overwhelming voices, was heading towards total success, as indeed happened in almost all parts of the world. The education authorities in New York licensed one million one hundred thousand school children to participate in the strike. In the main European cities, the protests multiplied in millions of people who want to fight against climate change. Also, in Latin America, from Mexico City to Buenos Aires, thousands of young people took to the streets to demonstrate and join the protests called by Greta Thunberg.

First Youth Summit on Climate

The next day, Saturday 21, the First Climate Youth Summit was held, “a proposal designed for young leaders who are immersed in the impetus of climate action” as read on the page of the Organization of Nations United. The meeting was held at its headquarters in New York. Nearly 700 activists attended the call, mostly young people.

This summit is also unparalleled and takes on great importance by allowing young people to appear in a relevant forum such as the UN. Before the maximum organization of nations, young people could express their messages and some ideas. We hope that these meetings can be held more frequently and become true incubators of ideas, through the creativity and freshness of youth minds. And of course, we bet that the birth of these ideas can become realities as soon as possible, since there is not much time left to think and act.

The voices of the First Youth Summit on Climate

The opening remarks corresponded to Greta Thunberg: “Yesterday millions of people around the world marched asking for real action, especially young people. We show that we are united and that we young people are unstoppable.” In addition to Greta, some young people took the microphone who expressed their opinion and annoyance about the negligence of politicians in the fight against climate change.

Bruno Rodríguez, founder of the Youth for Climate Argentina organization, said: “We often hear that our generation must solve the problems created by the current rulers, but we will not wait passively … The time has come for us to be the leaders.”

The young Kamal Karishma Kumar, from Fiji, a tiny island country of Polynesia, very vulnerable to the rise of the sea due to its low profile. For this reason, this country chaired the COP23 Fiji-2017. The young woman said that for the Pacific Islands, where she comes from, fighting climate change “is a matter of survival”, “black or white”. “We do not want future generations to sink with our islands”.

Wanjuhi Njoroge said that the meeting this Saturday, the first of these characteristics organized by the UN, has allowed young people “to be at the table of talks.”….  “Now our voices must have consequences”.

More about Greta Thunberg

The young Swedish activist of just 16 years, achieved what so far none of the Earth’s ecologists and activists had been able to achieve: to capture the attention of the great majority on the “boring issue of climate change”. If what happened between August 2018 and September 2019 had been written in a science fiction or climate fiction novel (Cli-Fi) it would have been branded as implausible and the book would rest on the shelf of forgotten texts. However, Greta is demonstrating what has been repeated so many times, that fiction is often overcome by reality.

Greta, with her scarce 15 years, makes the decision to start a personal strike and miss classes on Fridays of each week, to sit outside the Stockholm parliament. It is on August 20, 2018 when he appears for the first time carrying his legendary “Skolstrajk För Klimatet” banner. With large handwritten spellings, black on white, she announces his school strike for the weather. It demands that the government reduce carbon emissions based on the provisions of the Paris Agreement. A short time later Friday for Future would be born. Its global prominence takes it to the front pages of the most prestigious newspapers and magazines, to the screens of the world and to receive a lot of awards and recognitions, something that the young girl did not even imagine in a dream a year ago. His subsequent actions lead the United Kingdom Parliament to declare Climate Emergency on May 1, 2019.

What do Greta Thunberg and Steve Jobs have in common?

His leadership capacity and way of motivating people? Maybe, but in my opinion this binomial of features is in second place. There is something more crucial. I explain:

When Steve Jobs presented his small smartphone called iPhone, in June 2007, he said something like, the world will never be the same after this pocket device. And how right he was. The Earth revolves around the Sun, the Moon around the Earth and humanity revolves around the cell phone. It is not necessary to list ways of living in the twentieth century that have not been deeply modified by mobile phones in the twenty-first century. We all know it. You can discuss for hours if current life is better or worse than 25 years ago without reaching a consensus. But what is indisputable is that nothing is done the same as in those not so distant times.

Greta Thunberg did not have to invent a cell phone to change the world. She is doing it with her simple words and her condition of belonging to the youngest age sector She is doing it with her simple words and her condition of belonging to the youngest age sector, the one that has to lose the most if we fail to fight climate change. Greta saw it very clearly. He had the need, the will and the ability, and a bit of luck, to start his fight. In his speech he reiterates his message to politicians and power centers: “I ask you to listen to science, pay attention to scientists.” But it is not only showed through the word, because he had the courage to cross the ocean in a boat in which very few would dare to emulate his feat. He did it in a ship with zero CO2 emissions, thus complying with its principles.

In a few months Greta has managed to make millions of people, those that we environmentalists call apathetic, turn their heads towards the problems of the planet. In less than a year she became the youngest world leader in history, without being a rock star, a princess or a sports or showbiz celebrity. After her the world will not be the same. It could happen that this movement is momentarily deflated, but if that happens, our Mother Earth will be in charge of reminding us that we must inflate again and fight for it.

The other activities from September 23 to 27 in NY

Day 23 UN Climate Action Summit 2019.

From 23 to 29 NYC Weather Week.

Days 24-25. High-level political forum on Sustainable Development 2019.

Day 26. High level dialogue for Financing Development. Chamber of the Trusteeship Council.

Day 27. World Cimate Strike.

Sandor Alejandro Gerendas-Kiss